For the first time in many years, my husband, Gary, and I revisited the beautiful & historic Fort Shantock State Park in Uncasville, CT. We packed up our grinders, chips and water, drove fifteen minutes down the road, and ate dinner under the canopy of trees overlooking the Thames River. Retirement sure has changed things. We never seemed to have the time for such simple pleasures when we were both working. Now we wonder why we didn't do this more often.
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| My dinner companion |
When Gary was in his teens and twenties, he used to scramble down the hill, fishing gear in tow, and cross the railroad track to fish in the Thames River. We couldn't see the tracks from our picnic spot, so after dinner I set off to find a good trail. The following photos are what I discovered along the way.
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| Playground |
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| Is that fence the border of the park? |
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| I'm a big fan of mossy groundcovers - no mowing in this area! |
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| Oh, now I see! The fence is surrounding the Mohegan's cemetery. |
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| Memorial |
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| "Here stands the Fort of Uncas, Sachem of the Mohegans and friend of the English. Here in 1845 when besieged by the Narragansetts, he was relieved by the bravery of Lieut. Thomas Leffingwell." |
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| Photography is not permitted during ceremonies |
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| Sacred Fire Site |
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| Just when I thought I had reached the edge of the park, more park appeared! |
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| Finally! At the edge of the park I found steps down to the railroad tracks. |
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| A request for respect |
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| On my way back to the picnic area, I ran into a park ranger who told me about the many trails and water areas |
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| On another day I'll come back to walk the one mile trail up to the lake above this dam |
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| This trail leads over a brook and into the forest |
This weekend August 19-20 is the Wigwam Festival at Fort Shantok. For more information click here.
Laura S. Pringle is the author of The Pringle Plan, a series of educational guides.
See books by Laura S. Pringle on Amazon
©2017 Laura S. Pringle. All Rights Reserved.
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